War Saints: The Canonization of 1622

Abstract

Abstract The five new saints added to the feast days of the Catholic Church in 1622 occurred in the middle of two wars: the 30 Years’ War in Central Europe between Protestants and Catholics, and the resumption of the struggle by the Dutch to gain independence from Spain. Coming as the result of intense lobbying by different ecclesiastical and political interests, the canonization of 1622 provided an excellent window to observe the mentality of Counter-Reformation Europe. This is accomplished by a close reading of the reports of festivities and celebrations that took place in Rome, Prague, cities of Catholic Germany, in France and Lorraine, in Madrid, where the Spanish capital celebrated their four new national saints, and finally in Antwerp, near the frontlines in the Spanish Netherlands. In the uneven reception of the five saints, those of the Jesuits Ignatius and Xavier stood out, as models for Spanish military valor and global empire.